Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1887-02-18
LETTERS FROM THE CAPITOL.

ID TERs FROM THE CAPITOL.
ST. u, MIN ], Feb. ii, 1851.
#I IT can never be known except BY coniect-.
.ure Just how great a calamity was averted
at the State House last Wednesday by the
clearing the building Of the crowd without
creating 9 panic. While the House was in
session this afternoon the Speaker an
nonnced that architects. Bassford Of st.
haml, hodgson Ct Minneapolis and building
that that portion 81 the building occupied
by the hall Of represents tives was danger
Gus and the heavy truss supporting the roof
was liable to fall in at any moment. This
announcement did not put the House in O
frame e lS Ct mind TO continue business
minutes an adjournment was taken
until Monday afternoon, at which time they
propose to meet at the Market House. It
was in this wing Of the Capitol that the
crowd was gathered on Wednesday and
the building, and if the truss had fallen then
a disaster the most terrible that had ever
occurred in this region Of the world would
have been recorded. The difficulty seems
to be that the trusses holding the roof which
are arched are pressed down by the weight
and the moment the timbers settle SO
that g, the arch begins to bow inWards, down
will come the roof. The architects do not think
the Senate wing Of the building is asidan-
gerous put the Senators do not feel entirely
comfortable in view of the report made
relative to the House wing and an effort
will be made tomorrow to adjourn that
body to some other location. The report Of
the architects really demonstrate that the
whole building is unsafe, for while the first
persons to be injured by the fall Of the
roof would be the members of the House,
the Office of the State Auditor, Treasurer,
Secretary Of State and Railroad Com
missioner are all underneath and it is
almost certain they would all be buried by
the great weight coming upon them. All
occupants Of the building certainly need to
e carry pretty handsome life Insurance
There was pretty lively verbal squabble
in the House to-day, the chief participants
being Messrs. Donnelly, Potter and Hen
erickson. It grew out Of bill introduced
by Potter regulating the rate Of interest
Mr.. Donnelly claimed that the bill was be-
Potter to the point Of asking committee to
investigate the charges made against him
pottery The House did not seem to con-
slider that it was anything serious and de-
clined to pass the resolution. A little later
Hendrickson of St. Paul arose and offered
eating committee to ascertain
S %asl3er a ussd % seeare
Legislation whatever The resolution was
designed as slap at Mr.. Donnelly for his
structures, as Hendrickson claimed they
resented this imputation very emphatically
and the House again decided that there was
no need Of wasting time on such an investi-
cation. There seems to be very great
amount OF constituencies in the House this
ear. This interest bill and bill regulating
features of the day in the House The
patrol limit bill prevents the sale of liquor
within certain boundaries and after an
acrimonious debate, in which the Mime
apolis delegation chiefly participated, the
bill was recommended to pass.
In the Senate. Senator Bowen's bill pro-
viding for publishing special laws in the
newspapers in the counties where the laws
take effect was amended by saying that the
commissioners may publish them instead of
| shall, which would make the law really nuga-
tory for the cornmissionerscan publish them
now if they wish. 1t seems strange that
such q bill should meet with any opposition,
for nothing could be more important than
to give the people cf the county informa-
ton as to bills passed affecting their inter
est and which they are expected to obey.
The ia; failure TO- give such +; IN,
Of local legislation nugatory when it would
| be obeyed and respected if the public know
what had happened.
Rather novel bill was introduced by
Senator Truax which compells all patent
| medicine advertisements published In the
advertisement = over them. The Senator
has evidently been reading some nice little
| story and just as he reached the supposed
climax has discovered that by buying bot
tie of some choice remedy he could pro
long his life two or three hundred years
ly he does not care. to live as lone
fact that he only got elected
to the Senate by one vote and had to e.
into an elaborate contest to prove that h
| had even that one.
The somewhat celebrated Minneapolis
Mankato and Austin railway Company
seems to be about the wind up of it's affair
so far as the public are concerned. A bill
was offered to-day in the Senate transferring
tho land grant to Duluth, St: Cloud, Man
kato and Southern railway. This is the lane
| grant, concerning which there was a gooc
deal of breeze year ago andseveral rathel
active politicians retired in the shade fol
q time until the affair blew over AS thu
House will not be in.session tomorrow
and e. very ans considerable porti491
go up and look over the insane people at st
Peter, the Legislative business for this weel
can be considered as substantially closed
There remain but sixteen working days ant
as the last bill must be passed on the Bird Q
March though the Legislatu, does not max
its final adjournment until the 4th. Th
amount Of work upon the tables Of the re
spective Houses is so enormous that tw
thirds Of it is sure to be left for want Q
time w. -. - *7 rs
! =. -. usy ST.PAUL, Feb. 10, 1887.
AS the House had ad journed for repairs
large number of the representatives wen
up to St. Peter to visit the insane asylum
and about twenty senator's accompanies
them, SO that only a bare quorum appeare
in the Senate. In the House wing Of til
building, workmen were busily engage
putting in pillars to support the root. It
expected that that portion Of the buildin
can be rendered inhabitable during tn
coming week. If the lumbermen in tn
Senate had not had discussion over
memorial to congress, asking the abolitio